or fragrance, the millennium moguls shows no signs of slowing. "the newsroom" continues with randi kaye. >> have a good weekend. it's 1:00 p.m. in the east, and the heat of the day is coming on fast, and that's trouble. from nebraska to new england, look here. 150 million americans are trapped in the deadliest kind of weather. it's not just hot. it's historic. high temperature records have been threatened or shattered all week. washington could break its all-time record of 106 degrees in the shade. power grids are strained to the max. and power edison expect to pump more power to new york today than any other day in the history. you thought the debt and deficit talks were hot and heavy before, they are certainly not getting any easier. >> i guess we're all getting

frustrated. it's 100 and some degrees heat index outside, and i can understand people getting worked up about this sort of thing. more on politics in a moment. i want to start with a street level view of what has to be considered an emergency. justin bruno heads up the office of emergency management. he is kind enough to step outside and tell us what he has been up today. thank you for making the time and braving the heat. is your city in emergency mode right now? >> we absolutely are. we have temperatures we have never seen before. heat indexes will be 105 to 115, which are record numbers. the power grid is significant, and you mentioned that in your earlier comments. we do expect to see more power demand than ever before in new york city. we have activated our emergency operation center, a situation

room. we have agencies present, and one thing we do here is we are always in close touch with power edison, which is you on power provider, and we have them in all the time, and we keep an eye on if something goes out because we know there may be problems going forward. we are in a serious emergency today, but we will handle it. this is new york city. >> i know. i am sure you will. but we heard as you mentioned, con edison air, they reduced power overnight to queens and westchester county. any more plans for brownouts ahead? >> this is how we work it. when there is more than two out, and there's significant demand, and we see temperatures like we have, con edison will look at the conditions as a precautionairy matter. we don't have to find ourselves

where we are in an extreme situation and then have to reduce. so far we have done well. yesterday we had a hot day and did fairly well, and today we'll inbound trouble but we will hope to get through it. >> and possibly other cities should know some things is what? >> the combination of heat and humidity is extremely important and damaging to the system. we know that the stress on the system yesterday is going to have major impact today, because our system, which is mostly underground, so we have an underground system, it gets very hot, and that system will not -- did not have enough time last night to cool down. so we are anticipating that we are going to have problems. we're anticipating that we're ready, and we have sent out conservation messages to the entire public, and we're asking certain customers to come off the grid if they can voluntarily, and we're looking

at city facilities to take them off the grid to release the amount of demand there will be, and we're asking con ed to get more power into the city. >> we appreciate your time and hopefully you can get inside and cool off. breaking news in norway now. a massive explosion in the capital of oslo today, killed two people and shattered government buildings. the officers of the prime minister were extremely damaged but a government spokesman says he is safe. there are reports of a second explosion going off after the first, and numerous people were injured. rubble and glass from broken windows littered the streets. and nobody is claiming responsibility. also in a separate incident, a person dressed as a police officer opened fire today at a youth camp on a norwegian island. that story still developing.

and joining us on the phone is ian dutton. tell us where you were when this blast occurred? >> caller: i am on the 28th floor of a tower hotel here in downtown oslo, about a quarter of a mile from the blast site. i work for a u.s. airline and had flown overnight to oslo and arrived a few hours before the blast so was catching up on sleep after the overnight flight. >> did you feel it? >> caller: absolutely. at first i was not sure if i my bed been hit by lightning or there was an earthquake, which is unusual in oslo, and so i looked out the window and saw debris arising from the scene. there was no panic, but just disbelief. norway being such a safe place in general, people did not think something like this could be happening. >> did you feel one or two explosions?

>> caller: i pretty definitely felt one. there was a rumble like thunder, like a single bolt of lightning. i did not -- i have seen the reporting about a second, but did not sense anything like that. >> can you describe some of the damage for me there? >> caller: i am on a high floor looking down on the damaged site, and there's a taller building, i believe it's a 16 or 18-story building. i don't believe it has any windows left in it. it's heavily damaged, and surprisingly the lights are still on inside, and i can see light inside, and there is a building that is warped from the force of the impact. that building burned for probably two hours afterwards, however the smoke has stopped now. the situation seems to be relatively stable. there were an incredible number of ambulances, but that has died off now. the city which is usually hopping on a friday evening, is

eerily quiet, as trains stopped running and things have been evacuated. >> are there people on the streets or is it quiet? >> caller: there's little to no traffic, and people are wondering from place to place, and i live in lower manhattan, and i was in involved in the events on september 11th, and i see similarities with the shock and the feeling of well i have to do something, but there's nothing that i can do as an average person. and just kind of a feeling of loss. >> sure, as we are talking with you we are looking at horrible pictures of those that are injured and the smoke coming out of the building. >> caller: i travel here frequently, and it's such a warm and safe-feeling city, and that really has to cut through more than it would in someplace like new york or another major international capitol.

>> stay safe, and we hope that you get home to new york safe and sound. thank you. history-making weekend ahead in new york. on sunday, jonathan mints and fooin blant will be the first cup towel get married in new york city. they work for bloomberg. we will hear from the mayor and the happy couple in today's sound affect. >> the mayor's point of view is that new york always stood for freedom. new york's led the fight for freedom, whether we're talking about the women's right to vote for the right for people of different races to marry, and from the mayor's point of view, this is what new york is all about. >> we're going to make history when new york's new marriage equality law takes affect across the state. like so many things that happen in new york, i think sunday promises to bring the eyes of

the nation to our city, and we know same-sex couples all over the country and world want to tie the knot in new york city. >> they are the sixth state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. and james murdoch's testimony on britain's phone hacking scandal is being challenged. he could face a police investigation. a member of parliament is call forg a police investigation as to whether or not murdoch was involved in the efforts to cover up the scandal. james murdoch said he wasn't aware of an e-mail suggesting the hacking involved more than just one rogue reporter at the the now defunct "news of the world" tabloid. and murdoch says he stands by his statement. the federal aviation administration faces a partial shutdown unless congress has stop gap funding.

secretary of transportation says safety will not be compromised. the government will lose every week. the senate today rejected a house republican bill to require congress to slash spending. the cap and balance budget amendment. the move did nothing to resolve the issue of how to raise the debt ceiling to avoid a government default. a short while before the vote house speaker, john boehner, told reporters he and president obama had not reached an agreement on solving the debt crisis. the government is in danger of defaulting on august 2nd unless congress races the debt ceiling. we will talk about the debt mess with a minister and psychologist and politician.

yes, they are the same guy, former ohio governor, ted str t strictland, when we come back. what's this option? that's new.

personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. before the break we brought you up to speed on the debt standoff in washington. bottom line, there's not much speed to report. the senate republican's leaders plan is in limbo, and the white house and republican speaker deny they agreed on anything.;v< conservatives don't want to raise taxes, progressives don't want to cut entitlements. that brings me to my next guest. ted strictlund is a man with a

doctorate in psychology. you have a knnkne unique perspe. >> the debt ceiling has to be raised. this country cannot go into default. it's huge lly irresponsible for anybody to contemplate such a thing. remember, medicare and social security are part of the nation's long-term safety net programs. they must be protected. as we work for a compromise, and i support that kind of effort, we must make sure that we don't take steps that can actually weaken in any fundamental way the safety net programs that have made our country strong and secure. >> you told "the huffington post" the debt ceiling talks have, quote, diminished the democrats' brand."

what do you mean by that? >> it seems like the political center has been shifted so far to the right that we're now debating within the frame that the conservative republicans have insisted that this debate take place within. and quite frankly, the working middle class people in the country did not cause this debt crisis, it was caused by two wars not paid for by the bush tax cuts and a drug benefit that was not paid for. now the republicans are asking that the working folks in this country bear the larger share of the burden in bringing the fiscal house back into a good place. and quite frankly, i believe the debate must be broadened. we must talk about the need to make sure that medicare and social security is strengthened and supported for the long term, and we must ask those who have benefitted over the last decade

from this economy to pay more toward solving this crisis. over the last ten years, the productivity of the american worker has increased dramatically. wages have remained relatively stagnant or flat, and in some cases, actually gone down. but the incomes of the richest people in the country have exploded. as we discuss what to do to get our physical house in order, i think it's only reasonable and fair and fair to expect those who have benefitted the most over the last decade share in the burden of bringing our fiscal house in order. >> i know you have been critical of your own party. i want to play something for you president obama said earlier today in maryland at a town hall, and i want to get your response to that. >> if we only did it with cuts, if we did not get any revenue to help close this gap between how much money is coming in and how

much money is going out, then a lot of ordinary people would be hurt, and a country as a whole would be hurt. and that doesn't make any sense. it's not fair. and that's why i have said, if we are going to reduce our deficit, then the wealthiest americans and the biggest corporations should do their part as well. >> governor, it doesn't sound like the president is caving here. >> well, i say hooray for the president. it encourages me to hear him say what he just said. the fact is we need fairness within the economic structure of the country, and we have not had it for a long time. all the benefit has gone to the wealthiest among us, and working people are struggling, and working harder and getting less, and so there needs to be a recognition of that fact, and as

we work toward solving the debt ceiling crisis -- by the way, it's only a crisis, because the republicans are making it so. i was in congress -- i remember sitting with a republican friend of mine when we were both freshmen in congress, and we were debating raising the debt ceiling, and he leaned over and said i wish i could vote for it, because it's the right thing to do, and i said, rick, i wish i could vote for it because it would help me politically, but i can't. but so many of us voted to raise the debt ceiling and many of the republicans now that are decrying to raise the debt ceiling are not doing that. and suddenly in the middle of the recession, they are wanting to take a stand that i think puts this country in jeopardy. i fear for what would happen to the united states of america and

to the economies around the world if we were not to raise the debt ceiling. it must be raised. but the president is right in insisting that those who are the most wealthy among us pay the greater share of the burden of getting the fiscal house in order. but the debt ceiling in my judgment should be raised devoid of any of those contingencies. >> listen to what house speaker, john boehner, said. >> president obama talks about being the adult in the room. where is his plan? we're in the fourth quarter and we're fighting for jobs and for the country's future, and we're fighting for the american people. >> so that's the republicans' take. and you are a minister in addition to being a politician, and you are a psychologist, so how would you counsel both

parties to get this done? >> to show good faith in negotiations. i know john boehner well. he's from my state. john boehner is being held hostage by the radical element within his party. i don't think there's any question about that. i really believe that john boehner is a deal maker, and if he could, he would sit down with the president and would come up with a way to raise the debt ceiling, and then defer some of the other decisions such as entitlements to a more reasonable time and a more -- a time when we can have an honest debate. what is being done here in my judgment is the radicals. i call them radical, because i think they are in this regard. the radicals are saying we will put this country on the brink of going into default in order to exact a certain concession from the president and from the democrats. that's just simply wrong.

i think the american people understand that it's wrong. john boehner and president obama could make a deal. i think ultimately they will. and it will be a deal that moderate people independents, moderate republicans and democrats can agree upon. but the way it's going now, we cannot cave-in and give in to those who are the most extreme thinkers in the country i am appalled, and sometimes shocked at what is being said by some of the political leaders within the republican party. >> i am sure they would have a very different take. i am sure they don't consider themselves radicals. but governor we certainly appreciate you coming on and sharing your thoughts on this. thank you. why higher wages could actually be good for job growth, next. as a manager, my team counts on me to stay focused.

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some say higher american wages are to blame for jobs moving overseas, but the senior editor of "the atlantic" say it's because of what is happening here at home. >> we decided as a society, political leaders and business leaders, we had to pay the manufacturing workers better so they could buy cars and homes and fuel our growth. now the manufacturing jobs moved offshore and less than 10% of americans have the jobs. construction jobs, our service workers, low-wage workers that prepare our food and take care of our parents and our kids and

homes, $66 million of them, their wages are sinking. we have a new social exact in society. americans have to agree, we will pay a little more for the services. what is more important? who is more important? first to pay the car, and we have to pay more to drive the wages of the 66 million workers. >> terry savage is the author of "the savage truth on money." the wage gap could hit young people harder in all of this. look at this graphic. this line is the national unemployment rate, but look at the jobless rate for 18-24-year-olds. it's much worse off. 18% of those looking for work cannot find a job. a lot of people might say they're young, and give them

time and they will learn to make their money, but studies show graduates who cannot get a job in their field make less money over the years than those that found one earlier. >> well, tom that graphic line is mixing actually two groups. you have 18-year-olds, some who have dropped out of high school and don't have jobs, and some are graduating, and they are graduating without a job, and the business cycle will evolve and they will get jobs. we had this in 1981 and 1982, when the unemployment rate was higher, at 12%. those graduating classes went on to take advantage of the boom. lumping them in all one line is misleading. the question is what priorities do we set? we have very high paid service

jobs. if you are an nba player or basketball player, and they are providing a service. we have not decided as a society we're willing to pay. who is going to pay higher wages. if you pay higher wages to the person that washes your car, then where do you cut back on something else if you are a family, or if you pay higher taxes, where do you cut back on spending, or if gasoline prices are higher, we have seen people have to cut back. the real answer is economic growth. >> be sure to watch "your bottom line," and "your money," on saturdays on cnn.

millennials, the confident and always connected adults under the age of 30. they are out spoken and often reject organized religion, but they're the leaders of tomorrow. that got us wondering who are they and what do they stand for? all this week cnn has been taking a look at the so-called millennial generation, and today we're digging deeper with our medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta. the millennial generation, they are open to change. how do they feel about health care reform? >> this is interesting. we have been following this for sometime. despite the fact they will be the most impacted by virtue of living the longest, they are not

as open about this as other forms of change. about half are fully supportive of health care, but more than one-third openly oppose health care reform as well. it's a dicey thing. this is a generation of people, who, as you say, are open to lots of different things. and they are not quite fully understanding it, and they say that if they are asked about the specifics of the bill, a lot of them have just tuned out over the last couple of years, and don't really what is in it for them. despite the fact it may have a huge impact on them, we're not getting a lot of support from there. >> it's surprising they would be lukewarm about it, because it's the underage 30 group, and that's the group that tends to . >> yeah, and you think, hey, i

will just run out my luck here and see how it goes. that's part of the problem. what we are finding, when you look at the health care bill specifically, when they do ask questions, about one-third of them say, my costs may not actually go down as a result of this, and only one-fifth of them believe it will improve the quality of health insurance in the first place, and so that's the other part of the problem, there is not a lot of faith in the bill. that's among the population of people who actually tune in and start dissecting the bill. >> you called them immortals, and the cdc said they feel like they are invincible, which is why they may feel the way they do. where does that come from the fact that they feel invincible? >> i think at a certain age, an age a little bit younger, you don't think about your health the way you do after you have a health problem. >> i didn't at that age.

>> i didn't either. it can expose itself in different ways. not buying health insurance is one way. and they should not be thinking they are immortal or invincible. one-third of them spoke. i expected that number to be lower with all of the campaigns they have in the last ten or 15 years. and up to two-thirds are overweight or obese. this is a problem we talk about all the time. you will see the ramifications of that. you will hear about 30-year-olds having heart attacks as a result of that problem. they will need health care insur insurance, and some sort of care, and because of the situation a lot of them don't have it. >> their attitude about smoking or obesity is critical. >> yeah, they do feel as a group according to the poll that people should have health care insurance. what they seem to have an issue with is whether this bill will

be able to provide it and address all the issues they specifically have. >> sanjay, thank you so much. >> interesting stuff. >> it is. good to be young. >> yeah. >> thank you. you have noticed it's a hot one out there? even animals are looking for creative ways to beat the heat. i think this horse certainly has the right idea, going through the sprinkler there. we have tips and tricks on surviving that brutal heat. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. woman: discover the protection, comfort and convenience of transitions lenses for the entire family at transitions.com/walmart or visit a walmart vision center today.

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excessive heat watches, warnings and advisories have been in effect in more than 30 weeks this week. it felt as hot as 131 degrees. yes, you heard me correctly. 131 degrees in some places. in new york, the statue of liberty crown area is closed to tourists, and part of what makes the weather so dangerous is it offers no break, even at night.

severe weather expert, chad meyers, joining me now. a line of people want to know what can we do to stay safe in the heat? >> take a lot of breaks if you are outside. get inside every once in a while. over saturate yourself with water. that's all you can do. if you can't do those things, you must take in a lot of water. a lot more water than you usually do. don't wait until you are thirsty, because that has nothing to do with how much water you are doing. do the sugar and pepsi, later when you are inside. nothing with alcohol because that doesn't help. get into a spin k lurrinkler or. the heat index, 120, 115, whatever it might be, all the numbers are in the shade. all of the boxes we talk about are in the shade. the humidity and the sun, and all that hitting the white box.

the white box doesn't feel the sunshine at all. if you are in the sun, that 114 heat index in central park right now may feel like 120 to 125 on your body. there are a number of things that will go wrong with your body, cramps and then a heat stroke, and that could really get to be big, big problems. >> so those are some of the warnings signs, or are there warning signs that you are taking in -- that you are just too hot? >> i did get all the way to eventually the first stages of heat stroke one time in my life in nebraska when i was working outside. the first thing you need to do, obviously, drink all the water you can. if you feel crap thats in your legs or stomach, that means you are not getting that water, and you will feel not first but cramps. that's the first step. and then after that, if you feel like you can't just stand up anymore -- when i got to the point, i could not drive my car home. somebody had to drive me home because i could not function. my brain would not function at

all. at 104 degrees you're in a heat stroke, and you need medical attention because you are vomiting. if you start to vomit, you need to get out of the heat and get your body temperature taken down. if you are not sweating anymore, you need to go to the hospital. >> what about the fact that it got so hot so fast? has that made a difference in a case like this? >> no question about it. if you are living in hawaii or florida, and you are hot like this all the time, your blood and all that works all this stuff out, but because it got so hot so fast and it was in the 80s and now 120, and that makes

a big difference that it happened like that. >> chad meyers. great advice. thank you. we'll bring alive report from oslo right after this. [ male announcer ] this is larry... whose long day starts with arthritis pain... and a choice. take tylenol arthritis

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>> reporter: even as the police in oslo are evacuating people from the scene of the bombing near the prime minister's officer, we are hearing a person dressed as a police officer opened fire in the camp. the prime minister currently visits that camp and was due there tomorrow. they are sending anti-terror units to try and get control of the situation. >> any climbs yet of responsibility in terms of the bombing? >> we have not had any serious claims, but what we are seeing on a lot of the projihad forums is a lot of celebration and j jubilation. and they said they promised something because of bin laden's

death, and some believe this is now that revenge. and one just posted, europe, there is more coming. many are concerned that if it's an islamic extremist group that carried out the attack, it's done because norway was a soft target. and they believe that they might have tried to hit norway, because they did not think that their security was really as strong as it could have been. >> do you have any details -- i know we don't know exactly who did this yet, but do you have details as to how they pulled it off? where were the bombs and the explosio explosions? how were they detonated? >> reporter: eyewitnesses say there are cars in front of the prime minister's office, and that led many officials to surmise they have not confirmed it 100% yet, that it could have

been a car bomb. it's that that is leading people to believe that this could be quite a sophisticated operation that we have seen in the past to use and to control that much of an explosive. this is not an amateur operation carried out here in oslo. >> we're getting word from oslo police that seven have been killed and two seriously wounded. what is the scene as far as you know on the streets of oslo right now? >> our understanding is that they are still evacuating people from that scene. police are not yet fully in control of the scene of that explosion. one of the main concerns they have is that people are industrial trapped within the building. they believe the death toll will continue to rise when the emergency services can get. now it's a race to get in and save those who could still be alive.

>> in terms of oslo, i mean, oslo you mentioned it was a soft target, but has it been targeted before? >> reporter: last year, there was an operation, a cell that was broken apart by swedish norwegian and danish police working together. three extremists believed to try and target the newspaper that published the cartoons they found to be so offensive of the profit, muhammad. after those original cartoons were published by the danish newspapers, they were re-published by another paper, and then re-published last year, and so this is an on going thing that they feel are insulting the profit missouri.

muhammad. >> thank you. i just want to bring our viewers up to date one more time here. seven people have been killed according to oslo police. two seriously wounded. now reuters is reporting that there's a connection between the bombing there in oslo, and the youth camp shooting that we were getting details about. i want to bring in one of our i-reporters. can you tell us where you are and what you are seeing from your vantage point in oslo? >> caller: sure, i am on the 28th story of the tower hotel. the only downtown tower in oslo. it's a quarter of a mile from the center of where the blast was. in the last hour, things have fallen quite quiet. the traffic in the city center is all but stopped. there are very few pedestrians,

which is of course unusual for a friday night in oslo, and normally there's a lot of night life. you can see a number of police vehicles going to and from the scene. but it's much different of an atmosphere than two or three hours ago when there were an incredible number of ambulances going through, and buses were put into service as makeshift victim transports. it's quiet. people are very tentative. probably feeling very exposed. this is a beautiful -- like you have been reporting, it's a beautiful city. very safe under normal circumstances. it's not -- there is not a crazy stit at all, and so when something like this strikes, it strikes at the heart of the population. >> one of our other i-reporters described the blast to feel like

it was in slow motion. i am curious as to how it felt to you? >> i was just waking up, and only in midlpñ consciousnessçãw the concussion took place, and it really caused the whole hotel to rock. it really -- i mean, it was much more forceful than a bolt of lightning. i felt like lightning may have hit my bedpost or something like that. one i snapped out of it and looked outside, i could see a wall of debris and smoke outside. it was clear a major blast had taken place. i only felt one giant concussion, but there was some reporting of multiple explosions, and my sensation was just that one extremely concussive blast. >> there are some reports, certainly speculation that this could be an act of terrorism.

i know you were in new york on 9/11. what does this feel like compared to that? >> caller: the reaction was similar. i have friends in norway, and keep in touch with them through facebook. it's the feeling this could not happen here, just like we were in new york. that was in another part of the world, it's not here. and then there's a realization in dealing with the immediate circumstances, and now people feel like they are pulling together for mutual support. people are posting i love oslo and norwegian flags as their profile pictures on facebook. i think people are feeling the sensitivity, and trying to find strength from one another. >> you have been able to contact your family and let them know you are safe and hopefully they are watching cnn and know that as well. >> my facebook page lit up, and people are well aware. they definitely tuned into cnn.

they have heard that i am okay. so yeah, people at home know that i am not in any immediate danger, but my heart goes out to the peoples' lives who have been shattered by the events. >> we're happy to hear you are safe and we appreciate the time to talk to us at a time like this. to update our viewers, seven killed according to oslo police, and two seriously wounded. we will take a break and have more coverage on the other side. you know, the ones who do a super job? superpages.com®. for local maps, reviews and videos & it's the only local search site with the superguarantee®. so next time, let the good guys save the day. get the superguarantee®, only at superpages®. in the book, on your phone or at superpages.com®. when i got my medicare card,

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do you remember this big guy from last october in ali velshi talking about a 5-foot robot called the pr-2 created in california. well, henry evans, a mute quadriplegic had watched that and his wife asked if that bottom could help with simple life function. movements of henry's head and finger can now control the pr-2 and direct it to perform tasks autonomo autonomously. including putting items away in drawers, shaving, and what looks like the greatest relief of them all, scratching an itch on his

face for the first time in ten years. can you imagine? amazing to see him smile. think about how we all take these tasks for granted. willow garage and georgia tech are hoping this is the first step for the pr-2. and their goal is to get robots in homes where people like henry clearly need them. for more on these robots, you can visit my facebook page, facebook.com/randikaye. you never know what we'll be looking at. has dissatisfaction among liberals driven president obama's approval ratings down?

time now for a cnn political update. cnn deputy political director paul steinhauser from the political desk in washington with some brand new cnn polling. paul, have liberals driven president obama's approval ratings down? >> it seems like it, randi. take a look at, this a national poll from cnn. and you can see the president's approval rating now at 45%. that's down a few points from last month. and look at that disapproval now up to 54%. that ties his all-time high of disapproval in our polling. bull take a look, go to the next number. when you break it down, not jusñ republicans and others who are upset giving the president thumbs down. 13% of the people who disapprove say they're upset with the president because he's not

liberal enough. and maybe part of that is because he's willing to negotiate on social security and medicare in those deficit talks. you know what, though, go to the next number. and you can see here, the republican brand is coming into some problems, as well. the policies move the country in the right direction or wrong direction? right direction down to 37%, that's down nine points from back in january when they took over control of the house, randi. that's what i got right now. back to you. >> all right, paul. thank you very much. a massive explosion ripped through norway's capital today. at least seven people were killed. the blast shattered government buildings in oslo. and in another development, a person dressed as a policeman opened fire at a youth camp. there are reports of many wounded and at least one person arrested. tim lister who knows this area very well is here with us in studio to talk a little bit more about it. so seven killed, tim, two seriously wounded, what does this look like to you in terms

of the sophistication of these explosions? >> it's a sophisticated effort. there's no doubt about it. in fact, this is the largest explosion of this sort since 2005, london, the subway bombings. and before that, it was madrid. so six years has really been fairly peaceful in europe. there have been plots uncovered, some of them quite dangerous plots. but this is the first time we've seen devastation of this magnitude on the streets of europe. and it looks like a scene out of baghdad or beirut. it's a massive blast that must have been planned well ahead of time. this is not a lone wolf operation. >> so if it's sophisticated, does that mean it could be terrorism? >> i think the betting is on terrorism. we don't know for sure, yet. but you've only got to look at the sort of blast that occurred. you've only got to look at the target. prime minister's office, the headquarters of the major newspaper group next door. why would that be relevant? because the norwegian newspapers republished the cartoons of

mohammed that caused such offense in the muslim world. when that happened, the norwegian embassy in damascus was attacked. that is an issue that still rankles among islamist militants the world over. so that fact makes them a target. >> how much damage do you think these bombs were capable of doing? what's your best guess on that? we're not even sure where they were if they were car bombs or where they were. >> i was speaking to a norwegian close to the scene of the blast. he wasn't sure if it came from inside or outside, but says the shock wave was immense. so that suggests it was a high amount of commercial explosives. because the shock wave, if it traveled to where he was, would have to have been detonated by a really substantial bomber. i was doing this down in a field where they do -- dhs does this, and we were a long way from where they detonated the petn, but the wave hits you really

hard. and then in a confined space like that, in the city center where it reverberates off buildings and the shrapnel is carried. it's devastating. >> why do you think norway? >> for several reasons. one i mentioned the cartoon. you would have thought norway, a small country, why? well, they've been active in afghanistan, had a deployment there for several years, active in the libyan air campaign, the cartoon issue. also, what we're finding in scandinavia is groups themselves are coming together from denmark, sweden, and norway, different ethnicities gathering and meeting in mosques, and they are adjacent -- they're local to norway, sweden, denmark. know where the targets are. and saying a man who lived in norway, head of a very radical sunni group from northern iraq who was prosecuted because he'd threatened norwegian ministers because he was going to be deported. he said, you deport me and i get killed in iraq, the same will

happen to norwegian ministers. so they do have this fringe in scandinavian countries of islamist militants. >> when i have questions about terrorism here, i often come you and ask you, you know, who these people are, what's going on here. in terms of who might be behind this, who do you think? >> it could be a whole range of groups. but the point is that al qaeda is not so much an organization. it's more a spirit for these people. it's a mobilizing factor. but they're gathering in cells, they don't necessarily have big structures that are transnational. but what we are seeing are that some of these people, especially in scandinavia have gone to somalia, gone to pakistan, afghanistan, linked up with various jihadist groups, some of them have been trained in bomb making, assassinations, and they've come back. and if there's one thing that worries authorities across the world it's those people who are residents of europe, who have gone overseas and have come back

trained and ready to give their lives or to create mayhem. >> how will they go about trying to find out who it is? what will they be looking for right now on the scene? >> one thing we know is that the intelligence agencies have been on the high state of alert for the last nine months. now they're going to pour much more resources into that. who's involved, which mosques may have been basis for militancy, for example. they'll want to find as much forensic evidence from the bomb, its packaging, maybe a vehicle identification number, cttv from the area, all of that will come into place straight away. the most important thing they get is the signature of the bomb or what was -- what it was in, what was carrying it, was it a vehicle? was it dumped in a garbage can, for example, and left there. doesn't look like it -- >> many marks might lead them to who did it. >> exactly. >> glad we had you here today to

give us that information. and now for much more on the situation, we're joined on the phone by john larson with the norwegian red cross. john, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. can you let us know how the situation there is at this hour? >> well, first of all, this has been an extremely terrible day for everyone in oslo and everyone in norway. it's the first time we are experiencing anything like this in our nation. the situation is a bit calmer now in the city center. and the official rescue team has done what looks like is a very good job in bringing injured to hospitals. >> how many injured, john? we're understanding from the oslo police that seven have been killed, two seriously wounded. do you have any other information on the injuries for us? >> i don't have an accurate number of injuries.

but what i can say is that we are now mobilizing to respond to many people in shock and in fear. and we'll continue throughout the night and the weekend to open red cross branchs and houses for people to -- and offer them psychological support and friendship. >> what about the hospitals there? do they have enough beds right now for the number of people who were injured? >> the norwegian red cross offered first aid rescue teams and ambulances and also support and hospitals. but so far, the official rescue teams and the leaders have not requested those support. so as far as we know, they are coping with the situation. >> and john, we've been looking at some of the pictures of those who are injured. these are very, very serious

injuries. what have you -- what do you understand in terms of how serious the injuries are? and do you have everything that you need in order to treat these folks? >> well, the hospitals are well-equipped, and people got first aid very quickly. so even they were very close to the explosions, i can only expect that they got the finest treatment. >> and do you have any information on what types of injuries? i would imagine some of this was shrapnel. what are they suffering from? >> well, reports is most injuries from pieces of glass and head injuries. >> all right. the red cross' john larsen. we appreciate your time, john, and best of luck to you there in that situation. checking now some other top stories we're following. the senate today rejected a house republican bill to require

congress to slash spending and pass a balance budget amendment. the senate voted 51-46 against the measure, which was expected. the move did nothing to resolve the issue of how to avoid the debt ceiling. house speaker john boehner told reporters that he and president obama had still not reached an agreement on resolving the debt crisis. the administration says the government is in danger of defaulting after august 2nd unless congress raises the debt ceiling. james murdoch's testimony on britain's phone-hacking scandal is being challenged. he could face a police investigation. a member of parliament is calling for a police investigation into whether murdoch was involved in an effort to cover up the scandal. this after the murdochs testified to a parliamentary committee on tuesday. james murdoch said he wasn't aware of an e-mail suggesting the hacking involved more than just one rogue reporter at a now defunct news of the world tabloid. they told him that the scandal

was more widespread and that his testimony was mistaken. murdoch says he stands by his statement. the federal aviation administration faces a partial shutdown unless congress extends stopgap funding by midnight. if it happens, it shouldn't affect your travel plans. transportation secretary ray lahood says air traffic controllers would remain on the job and that air safety won't be compromised. but the government would lose about $200 million a week in airline ticket taxes and about 4,000 faa workers would be furlou furloughed, also about $2.5 billion in airport construction projects would grind to a halt. think all that information the dmv has on you is private? well, some states may be selling it. more in two minutes.

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we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. honestly pretty shocking. it's not something i think the government should be doing or the dmv. it's definitely a violation of privacy. >> that was shawn santella reacting to news that his dmv is selling his personal information to companies that are willing to pay the price. in fact, last year, they filled floridians' data to the tune of $53 billion. ann howard joins me now by phone from tallahassee. ann, thank you very much for coming on the show. weapon wa we want to get to the bottom of this. what information is the dmv selling? >> there's actually no blanket answer. but i want to start out by saying this is an opportunity to educate the public of florida and nationwide because every state does adhere to the driver

privacy protection act in some way, shape, or form. it depends on what exemptions you meet and what you plan to do with the information. the department of highway of motor and safety vehicles protects information, but there are public record laws that in turn protect the public. >> getting back to my question, what information are you selling? >> well, it depends. what are you asking for? if you are an insurance company and somebody has asked you be their insurance carrier, that insurance company is going to get your name, your address, your birth date, and your driving record. >> and why? >> if you are looking for employment as let's say a bus driver, again, it would be a very similar request. if you are a motor company, you make cars and you have to do a recall, then you're asking for everyone who owns that particular vehicle and their addresses so you can contact them to let them know there's been a recall on their vehicle. so it depends on what it is you

plan on doing with the information. and it has to be used for a reason. if you want to solicit business for your restaurant or your department stores, no. you cannot have the information then. it cannot be used to solicit for business. >> but you're selling to the government agencies, auto manufacturers, insurance agencies. why do they have a right to our information? >> per the driver privacy protection act which is federal and the state of florida adheres to it. they have a right to help protect you and help make you whole depending on what it is they need. >> how does that protect someone? i'm just curious. selling to them, how is that a safety issue? >> if you have someone who has applied to be a bus driver and that person has three duis and you look further into the record those duis happened in the afternoon, do you want that person driving your child? of course not. that comes down to a safety issue. if you have somebody who has multiple duis all over the country and has tried to move to

try to hide that record, it is going to catch up to them. again, you don't want that person driving on the road with you. they'll be denied the right to a driver's license. >> what about opting out? i mean is there any information, is that possible at all when you get your driver's license or anything like that to opt out of the state of florida selling your address and your name and your other information? >> depending on who you are, there are some professions that do have the opportunity to opt out. when they decide to do that, the department does let them know what it is they may be doing, which is taking themselves out of any notification of a vehicle recall or things like that. we do let them know how it could be to their detriment to opt out. >> and any plans in terms of protecting security? might there be a security breach with getting this information out there? >> the department of highway, safety and motor vehicles does take the protection of this information seriously. you never have your social security number given out to any company for any reason.

you do not have your driver's license number given out. it would depend, again, as to what exemption the requester meets as to what information they would get. >> all right. ann howard explaining to us why the state of florida is selling personal information -- >> well, again -- it's not so much that we're selling as much as these companies are -- >> are requesting. >> they're entitled to it. >> yes, they're entitled to it, but the dmv has profited, what $63 million -- >> we could give it for free, we just don't. we've decided for the state of florida it would behoove us to charge 1 cent per record. >> okay. all right. ann howard, i think you set the record straight here. i appreciate your time. thank you. in indonesia, women are 300 times more likely to die in childbirth or pregnancy-related complications. up next, we'll meet someone doing something about it.

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got the mirrors all adjusted? you can see everything ok? just stay off the freeways, all right? i don't want you going out on those yet. and leave your phone in your purse, i don't want you texting. >> daddy... ok! ok, here you go. be careful. >> thanks dad. >> and call me--but not while you're driving. we knew this day was coming. that's why we bought a subaru. and we got onesies! sometimes miracles get messy. so we use tide free. no perfumes or dyes for her delicate skin. brad. not it. not it. just kidding. that's our tide. what's yours? i grew up wearing lots of hand-me-downs. bell bottoms in the '80s? not pretty.

then she found them. she loved them, so i washed them in tide with downy and they're still soft and fresh. right? i'm blogging. really. i'm talking. that's my tide. what's yours? what would you do if a doctor delivered your baby and then kept your child from you until you paid your hospital bill? sound crazy? well, in indonesia, this happens all the time. but this week's cnn hero has come up with a solution. she's an arizona native who moved to indonesia to offer free birthing services to poor women.

>> the moment that a woman falls pregnant in indonesia, she is 300 times more likely to die in the next 12 months than if she was not pregnant. if you have money, you can get excellent medical services. but to the poorest people don't always get the services they need. >> in the hospital here cannot take the baby home until you pay your bill. sometimes the mothers wait outside the hospital all day waiting to get in to feed their baby and change their baby's diaper. >> my name is robin lynn. i'm a midwife, most people call me ebu robin because ebu means mother. i've learned about the dangers of mother hood when my own sister. she died as a complication of her third pregnancy. i was just really crushed. i came to bali to reinvent my life. we started the clinic run by ind

kneesi indonesian midwifes. we offer prenatal care. no matter how poor they are, their race, their religion, we teach new graduating classes of midwifes how to do a more natural, gentle birth. the women can stay as long as they want. >> robin helps poor people. she cares about me very much, like my own mother. i'm extremely grateful. >> each baby, each adult deserves a clean, healthy, loving environment. those are human rights. >> and remember, every one of this year's cnn heroes are chosen from people you tell us about. to nominate someone you know who is making a big difference in your community, go to cnnhero cnnheroes.com. updating our top stories now. a massive explosion ripped through norway's capital today. police say seven people were killed, two others badly hurt. the blast shattered government buildings in oslo leaving streets littered with glass and debris.

you can see it there. no one has claimed responsibility. in another development, a person dressed as a policeman opened fire at a youth camp. there are reports of many wounded and at least one person arrested. police say they have good reason to believe there is a link between the attack and the explosion in oslo. much of the east coast is in the cross hairs today of a stifling heat wave. the national weather service issued extreme heat warnings for large sections of the mid-atlantic. the heat index could reach 115 degrees in some areas. the hot temperatures are expected to continue through the weekend. the heat is blamed for at least two dozen deaths. are you ready for some football? well, it could happen. nfl owners have approved a ten-year labor and revenue-sharing deal with the players. the players are set to consider terms of the deal later today. an approval would end the nearly four-month-long lockout. what appears to be a random act of terror. mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943.

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back now to our top story.

a deadly explosion followed by a shooting rampage in norway. seven people are dead in the norwegian capital in oslo. someone in a police uniform pulled out a gun and started firing. officials do expect the two attacks are linked. i want to bring in one of our go-to experts. paul, i think the first thing many of us thought when this news broke is norway? why norway? >> well, there's a track record of al qaeda threatening norway. zawahiri in 2003 offered a threat around the world. it's a country which has a troop presence in afghanistan. it's a member of nato as well. and in last year, one of the newspapers there republished controversial cartoons of the prophet mohammed. lots of reasons why a group like al qaeda -- of course, we don't know which group was responsible. >> can you tell just from the

pictures that we're seeing on television, the reports that we're getting in from the scene in terms of how explosive these bombs were. are there any signs or does anything speak to you in terms of who might be behind this? might it be al qaeda? >> well, this is a devastating attack. it looks a lot like the african embassy bombings in '98 in the amount of damage to the building. it's a coordinated attack. and we've seen in the past with coordinated attacks and huge explosive attacks that al qaeda has indeed been responsible for these sorts of attacks over the years. the operate thetives would have to train in camps to get that sort of level of bomb-making expertise. they'll be finding out much more if, indeed, someone is under arrest at this point. there may be a claim to responsibility as well, randi. >> there are reports that the two attacks, the bombings in oslo and then the shooting at this youth camp are linked. do you believed they're linked? >> i think you've got to assume that they are linked.

that this was an attack not only on civilians, but against the top leadership of the country. also, it was believed that some senior norwegian politicians were expected to be at this youth camp meeting. so a very ambitious attack by whoever carried it out, randi. >> what would officials have known if anything? would they have been monitoring chatter? a warning that something like this was coming? >> they would have been doing all these things. and indeed, in recent months there's been increased terrorist threat chatter in norway, i understand. and investigations of a group of militants in the country who were possibly linked to al qaeda in pakistan, unclear whether that has any relation to this attack today. but that is the background in the threat environment, randi. >> paul, your expertise invaluable to us. thank you very much. a major development concerning the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. we'll tell you more right after this.

a massive explosion ripped through norway's capital today. at least seven people were killed. the blast shattered government buildings in oslo leaving streets littered with glass and

debris. no one claiming responsibility just yet. in another development, a person dressed as a policeman opened fire at a youth camp. there are reports of many wounded and at least one person arrested. police say they have good reason that there's a link between the attack and the explosion in oslo. listen to what the president just said about this. >> i wanted to personally extend my condolences to the people of norway. and it's a reminder that the entire international community has a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring. and that we have to work cooperatively together both on intelligence and in terms of prevention of these kinds of horrible attacks. >> president obama reacting just moments ago to the bombings in oslo, norway. a major development related to the u.s. military's don't ask, don't tell policy according to the u.s. official, the

pentagon is set to certify that the u.s. military is prepared to accept openly gay and lesbian service members. the pentagon could announce the certification today fulfilling a key requirement to end don't ask, don't tell. however, there is still a 60-day waiting period after certification before the repeal is fully implemented. two men suspected of beating san francisco giants' fan brian stowe into a coma have been arrested according to the "los angeles times." the man previously arrested in the attack giovanni ramirez has been cleared. ramirez was arrested on may 22nd, but they had a hard time connecting him to the beating. police are not commenting publicly now on the case. more on the death and chaos in norway. massive explosives shattered buildings in the capital of oslo. and a gunman opened fire at a youth camp. we'll have the very latest in a live report right after this.

ncht nchtsz. breaking news this hour, massive explosion in norway's capital today. police say at least seven people were killed in oslo, and what police say may be a related attack, a person dressed as a policeman opened fire at a youth camp outside oslo. there are reports of many injuries. joining us now from london with more, nima, can you bring us up to date? >> well, at present, randi, our understanding is that although rescue workers have been able to access the island where that second incident was going on with the shooter, that police now believe that there is reason -- strong reason they say, to believe there are explosives on the island.

they say they are treating both crime scenes as an ongoing incident. they've asked oslo residents to stay indoors, away from the city center, not just this evening, but throughout the weekend. asking people not to use their mobile phones, to free them up for emergency services. and they say the most important thing is to stay away from gatherings, randi. >> so if i'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like the situation may not be over? >> well, that is their concern. that after the explosion, and it was a huge explosion. and we spoke to eyewitnesss as far away as 6 kilometers who heard it. the emergency servicers who came into the area, sboor the center of oslo only to discover there was a second incident going on about half an hour away from oslo city center, the site of that first explosion. so now it seems they're trying very hard to ensure that they have all bases covered. and they say as far as they're concerned, the safest place for people in oslo to be this evening is inside their homes, randi. >> can you walk us through the

damage? how much damage is there in the center of oslo right now? >> well, you have to understand that this was right at the center of power. this is the center of government. not only did you have the prime minister's office, you had the oil ministry, you had the offices of one of the largest newspapers in norway based there. and the fact that a car was able to pull up -- if indeed it was a car bomb, the attack that an attacker was able to get this close -- they really believe that to batten down, to increase their security is giving in in some way. of course this evening, questions are being asked about that. bu but the damage is pretty extensive. the blast shattered windows for several blocks around it. many residents even outside the city said they thought it was the begin of a thunderstorm, randi. >> and how coordinated do your

sources think this actually was? how sophisticated? >> well, we're hearing reports that have yet to be confirmed by the police, but the understanding is that the second attacker, the shooter on the island turned up dressed as a police officer and actually spoke about the incident, about the explosion in downtown oslo. so it does seem like this was part of the plan. to present himself to the young people on that ruling party council on the island as someone who had been sent by the authority to protect them. and that's yet to be confirmed by the police. but it does seem like those two attacks were so close together in time and bearing in mind the reports that the prime minister, the current prime minister was due to speak there tomorrow and that the former prime minister has been speaking there today. it does feel like a targeted, sophisticated, coordinated attack at the very heart of government, randi. >> yeah, and whoever did this, certainly seems as if they were trying to make a statement. thank you for the update. appreciate it. and joining us on the phone

from oslo is christian aglen. where were you? and what did you see when the blast occurred? >> sure. well, first of all, i didn't see the actual explosion. i was working in the building right next to the government building that was primarily hit. you know, i was sitting there working in front of the computer. and suddenly the whole building starts shaking. and it felt like several seconds. and my initial response was, my goodness, an earthquake? but, you know, oslo, you usually don't get earthquakes in this city in norway in general. and after a little bit of time, it stopped, i realized this was an explosion. i looked outside my window, the portion of my window was intact. and the building, the surrounding buildings were shattered, glass was everywhere. me and my colleagues evacuated the building. and then i saw the immediate

aftermath of the blast. glass everywhere, one lady was laying on the street bleeding. and just a moment of shock really. >> we're looking at some of your video. it's hard to believe you had the peace of mind to take pictures and video in a case like this. what was the scene on the street? was it pure panic? chaos? >> there wasn't really chaos. people were more shocked and, you know, at the same time, they were helping each other. that one lady that was hurt, people were gathering next to her and helping her out. people seemed relatively calm, but also confused and scared. >> were you able to see emergency workers and rescue crews and any idea how quickly they were able to get to the scene here? >> sure. >> well, immediately after,

there was nothing there because it was a few minutes after. but they came very fast. i would applaud the authorities and police and ambulance for arriving at the scene. very quickly within relatively short time, they closed down the entire area. in fact, several blocks. and those few blocks basically ended up being downtown oslo. it was all, you know, blocked off. all the stores closed. really oslo shut down after this event. >> well, christian with at least seven dead and two seriously wounded, consider yourself very lucky. we appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. thank you. >> no problem. any time. it was a miracle drug in the 1880s used for everything from asthma to headaches and stomach aches. any guesses? i'll have a strange history lesson for you next. but i did. they said i couldn't get elected to congress.

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today's big breakdown is a mind-blowing history lesson about a one-time wonder drug. it was widely sold as a cure-all written up in medical journals and popularized by some of the greatest minds in medical history. sigmund freud for one. believe it or not, i'm talking about cocaine. a highly addictive glam drug of the 1980s. it was actually the miracle drugs of the 1880s. dr. sanjay gupta is here with the fascinating details. >> thanks, randi. the story is told in a new book called "the anatomy of addiction." what he did was dug through the evidence and found that two of the two giants of modern medicine were practically derailed by cocaine when it was first produced in the 19th century. one was dr. william halsted and

the other was sigmund freud. 1884, vienna, a struggling young doctor, sigmund freud wrote to his fiance martha about a new interest, cocaine. >> if you are forward, you shall see who is the stronger. a gentle little girl who doesn't eat enough, or a big wild man who has cocaine in his body. in my last severe depression, i took it again and a small dose lifted me to the height in a wonderful fashion. >> reporter: cocaine comes from leaves of the coca plant, but by the 1880s, big companies, what we call big pharma were distilling the raw leaf into a new drug. in vienna, dr. freud was fascinated. in 1884, he wrote the first major description, 70 pages, uber coca about cocaine. >> it was the miracle drug. if you had a stomach ache, you were nervous, if you were lethargic, needed energy, if you

had tuberculosis, asthma, all sorts of things, it was going to cure what you had. >> reporter: meanwhile, by the mid 1890s, he was flirting with disaster as he wrote in an 1895 letter. >> he probably finally stopped using after he and a friend of his used cocaine on a patient and nearly killed her. >> by then, other doctors worried too. >> too many people were taking too much cocaine and then they were -- these patients were presenting basically as addicts who needed the stuff, they couldn't live without it. and that's when doctors began to say, huh, we better rethink this. >> today we know addiction is at least in part a physical disease. we understand more. >> i would hope that more people are skeptical of grandiose claims of new drugs, new pharmaceutical agents. but we all in our heart of hearts want a magic bullet that

will cure what ails us. >> reporter: a magic bullet, the hope that keeps miracle drugs in business. time and time again. now cocaine caused freud some severe medical problems, including an uneven heartbeat, terrible nasal blockages, but freud probably wasn't truly an addict. he kicked the habit. it is interesting, a lot of people argued that cocaine was safe, not addictive, obviously that was so wrong. fascinating to go back and see those same mistakes were made almost exactly a century before by even the greatest physicians. randi, back to you. >> thank you, sanjay. and be sure to join sanjay for this story and all the big medical news this weekend on "sanjay gupta m.d." saturday and sunday at 7:30 a.m. eastern here on cnn. when don't ask, don't tell is repealed, will military same-sex couples be entitled to equal benefits? don't bet on it. we'll tackle that after the break.

if and when don't ask, don't tell is repealed, same-sex couples in the military still face some hurdles. they will not get equal health, housing, or education benefits that are available to heterosexual couples. why? the u.s. military is bound by federal law. no federally recognized unions, no federal benies. our clark cooper is the executive director of the log cabin republicans, and tommy sears is the executive director of the center for military readiness. they're both on the team today. clark, would you consider a repeal of don't ask, don't tell to be a success? in its current state where there are not equal benefits for

military same-sex couples? >> we're closer than we were a year ago. granted, we're not there yet. the president and the secretary of defense will be certifying, but it still has a 60-day period before congress. open service is not yet in place. and that's also a word of caution to those who think it is. it's going in the right direction. and you're right, there is a gap that will be realized with open service and that services and benefits to dependents and spouses will not be available because of the defensive marriage act. doma excludes access to those benefits. >> right. tommy, do you expect that same-sex military couples will eventually get equal benefits? >> well, if we are to go by the assurances giventy secretary of defense and chairman of the joint chiefs, they will not. however, i think you know and your viewers know it will no longer depend doma considers it

unconstitutional, which that is a legal question, certainly. i think there are plenty of reasons to be on the opposite side of that question that it is constitutional. but i think clarke's answer to your question sort of indicates what we'll be looking forward to. and that is probably hefty, ample litigation on the part of now openly homosexual service members challenging the statute on the basis of the recognition of their status as a sexual minority to, in fact, claim these benefits and just as unfortunately clarke's group has many in court challenging the statute itself contrary to the party. >> i want to ask you because, obviously the law is the law. the federal law prohibits the military, of course, from going any further and giving the same benefits to same-sex couples, same-sex partners.

but there are some who look at this and say, well, we're only really half way there. can you understand why some say, wait, they can go and die for their country but still can't get equal benefits? they're not going to get survivor benefits, may not get housing? may even be forced to live two different bases unlike heterosexual couples. so does this feel just a little bit like we're half way there? >> well, yeah, as a combat veteran, i'm a captain in the u.s. army reserves. so i'm personally affected, not only by don't ask, don't tell, but by doma. this affects me, a number of service personnel. i do believe the change agent won't necessarily be the courts, it'll be the department of defense. because middle managers, captains, majors in the army and your 03s and 04s will go up through the ranks and say this doesn't work. i've got a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who i can't take care of. it will be a morale issue if subordinates can't be provided

for. you gave the laundry list of things like travel orders, housing, medical care, you name it. i will not be surprised if in the near future the department of defense goes to congress and says fix this. this is a problem for us, this is a personnel issue. fix this for us, congress. >> would you like to respond to that? do you feel we're half way there? >> i certainly hope we're not half way there in the context of giving additional benefits contrary to current law of prohibiting them through doma. however, as i noted the administration plans not to defend it. secondly, the funding tale of personnel costs quoted by outgoing secretary of defense gates himself is taking up 10% of the defense budget. what these additional costs with this new policy are going to impose on the pentagon, not just in the case of housing, but

additional medical costs and benefits along those lines are not going to improve that fiscal situation in the slightest. >> all right. both of you, appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you, randi. and it's time now for a cnn political update. hi, mark, what's crossing on the ticker right now? >> randi, we're about less than seven months before republicans will start voting for their nominee for president. we have new cnn orc poll numbers. how unsettled the race is. let's take a quick look at it right there. mitt romney remains on top. he is the choice of only by 16%. the republicans' choice to a nominee for president. look who comes in at number two. number two is rick perry, the governor of texas who hasn't even announced he's going to run. we fully expect rick perry will make the announcement. perhaps in the month of august perhaps a little later. but rick perry at number two, rudy giuliani, number three,

sarah palin, number four, michele bauchmann, number five. it shows how unsettled republicans are regarding the race for president. three of those people on the list haven't even announced they're running for president. so there you are, randi. seven months out, republicans don't know who they want. >> oh, boy. well, i'm sure it'll get figured out at some point. thank you, mark. a simple display of affection and a day at the museum gone bad. you've got to hear today's xyz. it's next. ♪ my only sunshine ♪ you makes me happy ♪ when skies are grey ♪ you'll never know, dear ♪ how much i love you ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ [ male announcer ] as long as there are babies, they'll be chevy's to bring them home. ♪

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time now for my xyz. i hear so much these days about government and officials overregulating what you can and can't do. you can't drive and text. in some places you can't walk and text. in new york city, you can't smoke in parks. what's next you might ask? in san francisco, apparently you can't hold hands in a museum. you can't if you're a lesbian and run into the wrong security guard. a lesbian couple was in the gallery when they were stopped by a security guard and reportedly told they couldn't hold hands in the museum. that's right, no hand holding. isn't that your right? since when can't you hold hands in public? did i miss that somewhere? well, a small crowd began to gather. the museum guard trying to shoo the couple out the door to avoid an ugly situation. it was too late. after that moment, the museum spokesman told reporters that the museum officia